A 21-year-old Austrian man has pleaded guilty in court to plotting a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago, an incident that led to the cancellation of the US singer's three scheduled performances in the city in August 2024.
The defendant, identified as Beran A under Austrian privacy rules, admitted to charges linked to the planned assault on fans gathering outside the Ernst Happel stadium. Authorities said he intended to use knives or homemade explosives to kill as many people as possible, with up to 30,000 expected outside and 65,000 inside the venue each night. Bomb-making material was discovered during a search of his flat on 7 August 2024, the day before the concerts were due to begin.
Beran A told the presiding judge he pleaded guilty 'in part' but confirmed his guilt specifically regarding the concert plot. His defence attorney, Anna Mair, said her client deeply regretted his actions and described the plot as 'the biggest mistake of his life.' He faces charges including terrorist offences and membership of a terrorist organisation, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors also accused Beran A of planning attacks in the Middle East alongside two other men, including a Slovak national identified as Arda K. The trio allegedly intended to carry out simultaneous attacks during Ramadan in 2024, with Beran A travelling to Dubai and Arda K to Istanbul. A third man, Hasan E, was arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of stabbing a security guard in Mecca. Both Beran A and Arda K pleaded guilty to travelling with the intent to carry out militant attacks but denied providing moral support to Hasan E.
The cancellations devastated Swift's fans, who had travelled globally for her Eras Tour shows. Swift later said the cancellations filled her with 'a new sense of fear' and guilt, as so many people had planned to attend. The trial is being held in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna.
